Improvement in steam-engine



` To (LZ-l whom tp/nutty concern:l f

@fait @ihiw L JosEraP-MERMAMy V orsannusnr,card

'Lettersllatent No. 106,185, dated August 9, 1870.

` 'IMPRQVEMENTIN STEAM-ENGINE Schedule referredto in Vthese Letters Patent and making part of the same.

i Beitlmow-n'that I, JOSEPH P. MERRIM, of San,

` dusky, in the county of Ereand State of Ohio, have invented anew and improved "Steani-Engineand Iv do herebydeclare that the following isa fulland exact description thereof," reference being' hadto the accompanying drawings and tol theletters of reference.

marked thereon makinga part of this specification;

y This invention-consists,prin`cipally,in V'the peculiar construction y and arrangement of a variable cnt-ofi, i

combinedwithzthe valves, south'at the latter will be be operatedhy the governor ian exceedingly sensitive y manner, and at the same time give to the cylinder the greatestamount of steam `when the work on thev eni ginemost requires it, and to'instantly reduce the volume of steam when the load on the engineislighb ened. Thisdes'irable featurejqin the construction of' `steamengines has'long been sought for', but up to this time imperfeetly arrived at.` 1

Still another object ofmy-invcntio'n is to construct i the steam and valve-chests 'inj such manner as will ad` mitof easy access `to the valves, &c., without mate` i rially disarrangngthe cutoff or its several parts. Y

Figure 2, a transverse section; 'and -Figure 1 represents aside elevation ofv my engine; Y

` i Figure 3, a pelspective view ol' the saine,lshowing the-top ofthe steamlchest removed.

i "Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts' in the severaldrawings. i

.y A" `a steam-cylinder, which may be of any desired size, cast ontowhiohis a part, B,`for|ning a chamber which is divided into fours'eparate' parts or channels, a,b,c,and l.V y i i The steam from theboiler entering into the steamchamber B through the steam-ppe G 'passes `through the channels c and a, (see iig. 3,) and thence into the 4valve-chests D D' and valve-chamber e, through the,

poi-tsk..

i y l The steam-valves h hsthenbeing opened, as hereini after descrlbed,the`stea1n passes into `thepocket E,

` The s teamlvalves h h. and exhaust-valves it are. v operated by gearing on the crank-shaft, which imparts y a rotary moticnfto the shaft J, which in turnrevolves the'svpindleL by means of the bevel-gear wheels oo; u the spindle L thus being made vto revolve carries with the cams p p', thelower one of which, p', coming in contactalternately with the outer endsof the snpplel mentary valve-stems am, opens the exhaust-valves 'iv t' at vthe required time, and the upper cam p, coming in contactalternatel y with the supplementary val-vestems m m, forces open t-hesteam-valves il i h when admitting y Thesecams are A secured to the spindle `L by keys or otherwise, and at its upper end is attachedfthe gover-y nor M, provided with the weighted arms r'rfwhich, -when revolving rapidly, are thrown` upward by cntrifugal force, and, when revolving less.rapidly,drop to their former `position by their owngr'avity, as-inV govei'nors asV ordinarily constructed; y i i Through thespiudle'L passes-the secondary spindle N; this secondary-spindle is connected Vto the arms of the governor M by the pin s, which passes` through the collar t and slot o. p

' Slipped onto the spindle L, and connected to the secondary spindle N by the pins. s2 and s, are the clutch-plates R and It', -whichare provided with clutchpinsyy.,A A

Now, it will be obvious that when the speed of the engine is'accelerated the arms of the governor will be raised, andcarry upward with them the secondaryA of theg'ear-wheel S, the teeth of which meshfinto a p second and smaller gearfwheel, S', (not shown in the accompanying drawings.) This second gear-wheel in turn engages' with a third gear-wheel, W, thusrevolving the shaft G and bevels T T, which in turn impart a rotary motion to the worm O; this worm then working into the teeth of the gear-wheel W', (which lastmentioned gear-wheel is fixed to the collar or sleeve P, which it revolves,) and the motion thus imparted to the collar revolves the plate V; v

Attached to the under side of the plateV are fixed the guide-studs 1 'and' 2, through which the ends ot' tllesupplemeutary valve-stems m m pass, and it will bc clearly seen that as the plate V is. revolved the guide-studs 1- and 2 are carriedmore or less out of a direct line with said supplementary valve-stems m m, and thus as the guides ane moved the projecting ends ofthe supplementary valve-stems are withdrawn more or less from the guide-studs 1 and 2, and in this way present less surface to be acted on by the earn p, and, consequently, the throw ofthe valves h h' is lessened, and less steam is admitted tothe cylinder, or the supply, in other Words, is partly cut oi'.

When ytheengine lis running at reduced speed, the arms lr r of the governor will droop, and shove downward with them the supplementary spindle N, and with it the clutch-plate R, which, being thus brought down, causes the clutch-pins y y1 (tixed to the under side of said plat-e) to engage with the clutch-pin y of the gear-wheel'Unand thereby causes said gear-wheel to revolve, which in turn communicates-motion to the` gearfwheel Y, and in this way revolving the shaft G, hevebwheels T .l, and worm O, slceveP with plateV theretoA attached, and guide-studs l and 2, precisely as hereinbefore described, but in a reverse direction, and thus the guide-studs l and 2 are brought more in a direct line with the. supplementary valve-stems m m, allowing them to protrude in such manlief as will offer greater surface to the action of the cam p, and in this way increase the throwof the valves h hf', or open them wider for the admission of steam, and maintain the former speed of the engine.

'1p`o prevent the possibility of tnrning the plate. V so far as will entirely withdraw the ends ot` kthe supplementary valve-stems m m from the guide-studs l and 2, a small inclined plane, x, is attached to the upper surface of the wheel W', which, comingr in contact with the forks 3 3 of the lever 9, will trip the clutchplatcs R R', so that none ofthe aforementioned clutch pins will engage, and the engine will then run full stroke until the speed 'is such as ,to again throw out the arms of the governor, when the steam is again cnt olf and 'its supply regulated as hereinbefore described.

One decided advantage of nay valves over valves as ordinarily constructed for stationary steam-engines is that they are balance puppet-valves, and, therefore, it requires but very little power to more them, and

again, by reason of their eonstruction,the steam is admitted to the cylinder without being wh-cdrom, thus getting into the cylinder promptly the full pressure from the boiler.

The outer ends of' the valve-stems are received int-o the dash-pots il, and are therein cushioned against the spiral springs 5 (i, which, by their elasticity close the valves after they hare been opened by the action of the cams p p', or instead of springs, steam may be used for that purpose.

The spindle L is attached to the outer side of the steam -chan1her B by the collars 7 and 8, through which it freely revolves.

`4Haring thus described my invention,

What l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l Al. A variable cavoli", 'composed of the clutch-plates It Bf, gear-wheels S S', W W', U, and Y, bevel-wheels o o, T T, and worm O, oscillating guide-plate V, with the guide-studs thereon, cams 1 p', tripping-lever 9, supplementary valve-stems m m', n n', in combination with the governor M, all arranged and constructed as hereinbefore described.

2. The arrangement of the steam-passages or channels a b c d, ports g g and F Fin the chamber B, the pockets-E E, valve-chambers e c, f f, and ports K' K', the jacket H, and exhaust-pipe K, all as and for the purpose set forth. v

J. P. MERRIAM.

Witnesses:

H. L. WATTENBERG,

. M. PLYMPToN. 

